


what she saw (or the Sightings of Holly Trail)

by macbethattempest



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: BAMF Maria Hill, Captain Hill - Freeform, Covert Ops, F/M, Fighting, Holly Trail, Love, Post-Avengers (2012), Science Bros, Sparring, captain hill from the eyes of another, will continue on from new york, witnessing romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-18
Updated: 2016-06-05
Packaged: 2018-06-09 05:08:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6891439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/macbethattempest/pseuds/macbethattempest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Maria Hill" she whispered, "And Steve Rogers."</p><p>Holly Trail needed to know more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> I have all the free time in the world and lots of stored work. So, here goes.

Holly Trail, a reclusive, computer genius CIA worker who had been transferred to SHIELD after the battle of New York, was new at SHIELD, so she didn't really know much except for three facts that had been drilled into her brain by folklore and common CIA locker gossip:   
1\. Nick Fury was all knowing, all seeing.  
2\. The Avengers were amazing.  
3\. Nobody messed with Maria Hill.

But what _nobody_ had told her (she couldn't, _for the life of her, believe, why)_  and what she'd been seeing with her _very own eyes_ for the whole one and a half month she'd been working here, was that Steve Rogers and Maria Hill were together.

As in, _together, together._

As in, going on a date,  _together._

As in, let's make  _babies together._

See now, this is how it had gone:

On her **third day**  at job, during the customary departmental tour (the first and second day had been a debrief about her job) she'd been introduced to Ms. Hill and been instantly intimidated. 

 _Who wouldn't be?_ Maria Hill issued orders like a general and people rushed to obey them as if their ass was on the line. (which, after further thinking, it probably was)

On her **fourth day** , she'd been allotted at Maria Hill's unit ( _dear lord)_ and she'd seen  _Mr. Stark_ (she'd almost perspired when she'd seen Tony Stark _the man, the genius, Iron Man_  remove his shades not _five feet from her_ ) waltz inside Ms. Hill's open office chambers (that's how she remained connected to everyone) and been thrown out with a few choice words and a "don't fucking disturb me during work, Stark" and Mr. Stark ( _Iron fucking Man_ ) had moved out of her office while grumbling (" _nobody is fun these days"_ ).

The same day she'd seen Ms. Hill reprimand _Clint Barton_  ( _the man, the great, Hawkeye_ ) and tell him she'd put him on probation if he went out of line again and stuffed Thor's room with teddy bears. She told _motherfucking Hawkeye_ he'd be put on _probation_. And he listened. Quietly.

On her **sixth day** , she'd seen Maria Hill defy Fury's orders on the field (she did field work too, _oh yes_ ), demolish the Hydra facility and manage to save ten people in the process. And it was as impressive as it sounded, even though Holly watched this on recording, while eating greasy pizza in the common room.

It was confirmed. Maria Hill was  _the_ boss and nobody messed with her.

So when on the **seventh day** , the unit that had been dispatched to Moscow for a mission to destroy a hidden base set up by Loki returned, she _did not, for the life of her,_ expect to see what she saw.

It had been a tedious mission, and the unit had been out for nearly a month. Led by Captain America, the unit had consisted of ten agents, all of whom had returned safely. Captain had already declared Agent Bronn as the hero of the mission, deploying five nuclear bombs in under three minutes and saving all of their lives. So, as the unit came through, there were cheers amidst which people lifted Agent Bronn up and shook hands with a smiling, weary Captain Rogers (And _dear lord_ , Steve Rogers.  _The man, the legend, Captain America)_

Holly Trail had been absolutely enamoured by him, by the power in his stride, by the years he carried; so her eyes had followed him, all the way from the entrance where he shook hands with people, as he walked through the crowd, casually avoiding the crowd, to when he walked towards the largest rounded desk in the hall, six desks down from her.

And _then_ she saw Maria Hill standing there, not taking part in the celebration, her eyes trained on Captain Rogers, taking him in, her eyes flitting over his body, her fists clenching, her throat working to swallow.

Steve approached Maria, his lips tipped at one end. And then he stood straight in front of Ms. Hill.

Holly shifted a little. Was she, maybe, hallucinating? She looked down at her donut.  _Sugar high._

And then Holly froze.

Steve's hand was tenderly at Maria's cheek and

and

Holly took a _deep_ breath to steady herself.

Maria was _smiling_ ,

a wide smile with a hint of teeth,

her eyes shining,

her hands unclenched, one at her lips and one by her side.

And just as abruptly the moment had come, it passed that abruptly too.

One minute, Holly had been staring at them staring at each other, the next minute she was witnessing them exchange a mission report with all the formality of SHIELD colleagues. As the rest of the unit assembled behind Steve and gave their inputs to Maria, there was no hint to the moment that had existed right in front of her eyes.

Holly shakily sat in her chair.

" _Maria Hill_ " she whispered, "And _Steve Rogers_."

Holly Trail needed to know more.

 


	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve watched Maria, as she left.
> 
> And the very watchful Holly Trail watched Steve, as he longed.

Holly Trail was physically, a not so strong woman.

In all her years in the CIA where she'd had a desk job (a desk job, did people here _not know_ the meaning of that), she'd never found herself facing a criminal. Hence, she'd never had to learn any sort of Kung fu or whatever it was that these people did. That same King fu, she found out, here, in SHIELD was a requirement for all employees, desk jobs or field agents be damned.

Two weeks after her ongoing stint at SHIELD, where her formal job title was 'Technical Official', she, along with ten other newly recruited desk agents, had been issued a notice stating that their physical training started from next week.

_Physical training?_

Holly ate veggies, Holly walked regularly, Holly restricted herself to two eclairs a month, now she was going to be part of a physical training?

_She was a good person, damn it._

The first day had been catastrophically painful. Their instructor ( _instructor,_ for God's sake), a strict strict man, had made them climb ladders ( _motherfucking_ ladders), jump rope (that seemed nice, until they were told that they had to do it a _thousand_ times), move tires ( _truck_ tires) and stretch (her body was _not_  a pretzel). This ordeal had continued for a whole month and she'd never been in more pain in her entire life.

And then, the next month they'd begun with sparring.

Now let's make it very clear that Holly Trail was _not_ a person who was inclined towards fighting. So, while she struggled physically with the moves she had to learn and implement, she also struggled mentally: what would the photo of Gandhi that hung in her dining room say?

Add to that, they had a new trainer.

And by new trainer, that had a  _new trainer._

_The woman, the mystery, Black Widow._

Natasha Romanoff had just returned from a mission completed halfway after injuring her ankle. Now, she sat at the the headquarters, doing nothing.

And _that,_ according to Ms. Romanoff, was unacceptable. So she'd taken up the job of giving basic training to the new desk recruits. (Because God forbid you couldn't spend your time with chips, TV, unlimited wifi, iPhone and an Xbox,  _right)_

And there she was, Holly Trail, computer genius and coder extraordinaire, along with the ten other recruits, on her fifth day of training with Ms. Romanoff, in the Compound.

Natasha was showing them some move - choke and _dear lord_ do _that_? To an _actual_  person? - when Maria Hill entered the room dressed in similar sweatpants and a SHIELD TShirt.

"Maria", Natasha nodded, freeing the guy she had been demonstrating the chokehold on. Her lips tilted.

"Having fun?", Maria asked, a smile pulling at her lips.

"Not as much as I'm going to have now", Natasha said pointedly and then she launched herself at Maria.

It was _astounding,_ how absolutely fast the Widow moved and it was _astounding_  that Maria was ready for her. As soon as the Widow hit Maria, Maria swiped at her feet and got her in a hold which Natasha escaped.

See, Holly could vaguely tell you what sparring was. Fighting and punching maybe.

 _Now?_ She really _knew_ sparring.

Maria and Natasha were like leopards,

powerful,

graceful,

lithe,

agile,

_dangerous._

They

swiped, and

turned, and

jumped, and

held and _my god_  was it breathtaking.

The people in the compound cheered.

And then, in the middle of a complicated twist, Natasha's leg gave and Maria leaped and held her up.

"Not so fast", Maria spoke to Natasha, not even winded.

"Hate this", Natasha muttered moodily.

"Greg", Maria called, "take Ms. Romanoff to her room."

Natasha grumbled and then hooked her arm around Greg, as they moved out of the compound, Natasha limping and Greg holding her up.

"Fancy a spar, Lieutenant?" a deep voice resonated across the room.

Everyone drew a collective breath. (It was good to know, Holly mused, that she wasn't the only one star struck by Captain America)

Maria turned and raised an eyebrow. "Really, Captain?", she said in her usual icy voice. "Harbouring a death wish?"

Steve rose from his position from the wall where he leaned, and walked towards Maria, "I ought to ask that question to you."

And then Maria lunged.

See, Holly now knew what sparring was. But  _this?_

This was a dance; an intimate dance between two people who knew each other inside out.

While Maria was the leopard,

stealthy,

graceful,

_taunting,_

Steve was the lion,

_raw,_

powerful,

overwhelming.

Maria swiped.  
Steve ducked.

Steve grabbed.  
Maria evaded.

Steve caught hold of Maria's hair, and opened them with a flick of his wrist.  
Maria shrieked.

Maria went for his legs.  
Steve jumped.

Steve parried.  
Maria punched.

Maria clawed.  
Steve growled.

And then it was over.

Maria kicked at Steve's shin to drop him but he caught Maria's neck and brought her to a choke hold instead; his right arm banded over her hands, his left holding her neck and his leg twisted around hers.

Holly was spellbound.

Dimly, she registered the sound of cheering around her. As she looked to Agent Tram beside her to confirm that yes, that _absolutely scorching foreplay_ just happened, she suddenly saw what her comrades were seeing:

Captain fighting Lieutenant,

not _Steve_ fighting  _Maria._

Holly frowned. Had she been reading too much Nora Ephron?

She looked back to them, and watched as Steve bent his neck to Maria's ear, very clearly said, "death" and let go of her slowly.

The cheering escalated.

Maria did not turn towards Steve.

Instead, she did something else entirely. Something unexpected, something  _very Maria._

Maria stood with her back to Steve,

_flipped her hair over her shoulder_

and strutted down the hall without looking back.

The crowd became hysterical and turned to themselves to set up the betting pool.

Steve watched Maria, as she left.

And the very watchful Holly Trail watched Steve, as he  _longed._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any and all comments are very very welcome!


	3. III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And then Holly grinned; a Cheshire Cat delighting in her discovery, her fingers rising to her lips.
> 
> The Sightings
> 
> were
> 
> real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Currently, I have all the time in the world, so I'll probably update very regularly.  
> Also, thank you for the love and support! This is the first time I'm writing and your encouragement keeps me going.

Holly Trail needed to get this _fucking_  done.

She'd been working tirelessly for two weeks: updating mission reports, rectifying agent records, monitoring field locations, establishing safe houses. Her back ached after resting against the stiff chair so long, her butt was numb from sitting continuously and her fingers were on the verge of developing carpal tunnel.

She'd done all her assignments with perfection, even the difficult ones like tracking down the rogue Hydra agent that had escaped from the pack Hawkeye and Black Widow had demolished.

Except for this one.

This particular assignment involved tracking down both Hydra safe houses (Munich and Oostende) simultaneously and linking them with a Starkrift (the new invention by Stark Industries) so that their technological links muddled up together to join the StarkWeb ( _another_ new invention by Stark Industries), run by a Jarvis unit.

It was 2am in the morning and the room was almost empty, except for a few agents plastered to their computers, their clicking a comfortable background noise.

Holly was almost done. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, her eyes flitting between the numbers and the codes, and _yes yes motherfucker._

There. _There_.

She'd done it! Holly let out a shriek of joy. She stood up abruptly and looked at her nearby agent (Agent Jane, maybe?), straight in the eye and slashing a finger across her neck, whispered, " _KO"_ dramatically.

Agent Jane (?!) burst out laughing.

Then Holly got up and twirled towards the kitchen. She needed a great coffee and pastry as a reward. She'd cracked this ultimate code case, she needed a fucking massage and maybe a relaxing trip to Thailand where she could just sleep and maybe to Belgium too, she needed chocolates, and London, Royal fervour and all that and

she froze.

Maria Hill stood _glaring_ at her, from across the kitchen glass.

Holly flinched.

As in,  _flinched._

As in, jumped back three steps, hit the wall, put her hands on her chest and started panting.

Now, Maria Hill in normal moods was scary. Maria Hill glaring was Dante's seventh circle of hell.

And then Maria Hill, still glaring at Holly, spoke.

But Holly couldn't hear a thing.

Holly frowned and then carefully, took one step forward.

Maria Hill continued to speak, one hand at the counter and the other gesturing here and there. And Holly still couldn't hear a thing.

Holly took a step towards the right and found no change in Maria's demeanour.

 _Aha_!

She was looking at Maria Hill through a one way glass. She had approached the kitchen from the opposite side and needed to go to the other side.

Pleased, (and secretly happy that she wasn't suffering from the Silent Movie Syndrome, which after much research and argument, her mum had established as a real thing), Holly started moving towards the hallway to the other side when she suddenly froze. (She froze an _awful_ lot these days.)

Because behind Maria Hill, a few feet away, stood none other than Steve Rogers.

Holly couldn't believe it.

A Sighting again!

She'd labeled Maria Hill and Steve Rogers moments as Sightings because she felt like Apollo's oracle when she saw them; not because she was seeing the future, but because she was seeing something elusive.

She quietly moved back to her position to watch the show clearly.

There was clearly some argument going on. A heated one, if facial expressions and gestures were to be believed.

As Holly watched, Steve spoke something (if only she could _hear, if only)_ and Maria turned abruptly and raised her hands up over her head, giving her back to Holly.

 _Hey,_  she needed a better view.

 _Shift a little, shift_ , she willed them.

And _aha!_ Perfect view. They'd shifted positions and were now facing off with each other, their sides to Holly.

Maria twisted her lips and spoke rigidly.

Steve leaned forward and spoke rapidly, his posture tense.

Maria rolled her eyes and threw her right hand up in the air in a universal sign of  _forget it._

Steve crossed his arms and made an impression of mock awe and spoke off-handedly.

Maria pulled back her shoulders, her face outraged and let out a stream of words.

Steve shrugged and replied casually.

Maria grew more outraged, throwing her words and hands.

Steve leaned back against the counter and gave a careless reply.

Maria's body shook with outrage. She took a step forward, her hands on her waist and her words hurtled at him.

Steve raised his eyebrows at her, not speaking.

Maria continued speaking and pointed a threatening finger at him.

Steve got up from his position across the counter, straightened and

_whoa,_

smiled.

And thats when Maria lost it _completely._

As in, _complete-fucking-ly_

Maria grabbed an empty cup and a plate from the nearby counter and _threw_ them at Captain _fucking_ America.

_(Holly needed popcorn. Stat.)_

Steve was extremely quick.

He dodged the empty cup and catching the plate in his hands, threw it _back_ at Maria.

Holly gaped. Somebody needed to tell Mr. Rogers that anything flat and round was not his shield.

While Maria batted the plate away with her hands like it was a _gnat,_ Steve stalked towards her, covering the distance in four lengthy strides, picked Maria up by her shoulders and,

_dear lord,_

laid one on her.

As in, kissed her.

As in, devoured her.

As in, _fucked_ her with his lips.

Holly stood there, still as a statue.

And then she grinned; a Cheshire Cat delighting in her discovery, her fingers rising to her lips.

The Sightings 

were 

_real._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, would anyone like to read what Steve and Maria were really saying? I could write an add-on.


	4. IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You know what I feel?"
> 
> A pause.
> 
> "Don't you want to know?"
> 
> Another pause. The sound of a utensil being put down.
> 
> "Yes ma'am, I want to know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is NOT the actual conversation between Steve and Maria from III. I'll be creating a 'what she saw:bonus' in a few days, which will feature that conversation. This is IV, a completely new chapter.

Holly Trail couldn't believe it.

That son of a bitch.

She couldn't say that out loud of course. But in her mind, she could call him a _motherfucking_ idiot who didn't deserve any _motherfucking_ chocolate in the whole _motherfucking_ world.

See, Holly didn't hate people. She was all for the _let's be friends_ vibe but David Walsh. Oh boy, he was going to die a painful death.

David Walsh was the senior cook (oh wait, a _useless_ oaf) at SHIELD. The one who supervised all the meals. The one who decided the menu. The one who timed the food distribution. The one who had decided to take tomato soup and tomato chilli paste and tomato potato mash off the motherfucking menu and decided to add cabbage sandwiches and lettuce salads _because they were healthy._

Ever since Holly had been a kid, she'd been immensely passionate about food; passionate about _tasty_ food. The first thing she'd done after becoming the Vice President of her school had been to protest against the awful taste of food served in the cafeteria. She'd been the one who had made pastry a staple in her mum's house. In all her twenty four years, she'd cultivated her taste buds very very carefully. And here, this meatloaf of a man had decided that he could replace tasty food with gibberish.

No no _no_.

This was felony.

The man knew _nothing_.

Jon Snow bubbled up into her mind and she giggled into her hand, despite the situation.

Holly marched to the head kitchen in the basement. David Walsh was going to get it. She went down the elevator and descended towards the kitchen.

As she passed the small intermediary kitchen, she heard a feminine voice.

"You know what I feel?"

A pause.

"Don't you want to know?"

Another pause. A utensil being put down.

"Yes ma'am, I want to know."

Holly stopped mid-step.

Nobody spoke "yes ma'am" like that with a southern drawl other than one man: Steve Rogers.

Her heart started pounding. Was this, _possibly_ , her next Sighting?

She moved closer to the wall, no door in sight.

Holly was torn. She looked towards the main kitchen, bustling with cooks. And then she looked at the wall.

David Walsh or Sighting?

She took a deep breath. The Meatloaf could wait.

She skipped forward and pressed her ear to the wall.

"Well, I feel like killing people". Yes this was Maria's voice alright.

There was a sound of metal scraping and then Steve replied, "Well, I feel that you feel that quite often."

Maria scoffed, "I feel that what you feel about what I feel is incredibly generalised."

"Ma'am", Steve replied and she could hear the sound of a knife against a chopping board. "I feel that what you feel about me feeling for your feeling regarding killing people occurs nearly every day."

Was Steve Rogers using ma'am as an endearment?

Oh my _my_.

Now _that_ beat Mr. Darcy. 

"Are you deliberately trying to convolute the sentence so that I cannot keep up?", Maria asked, her voice sharp and robing.

She heard a muffled chuckle.

"Because let me inform you something", Maria continued haughtily. "Erskine enhanced you _only_ physically; mentally you're still a _pig_."

Holly gaped.

But Steve didn't miss a beat.

"Oh and _Pigs_ , according to you, as we established earlier this week, are horny little idiots, aren't they", Steve asked pointedly.

Holly heard a feminine "mmhm" of assent.

"Then I don't conform to your definition", Steve spoke nonchalantly. "I'm cooking; not fucking you across the counter, am I?"

Holly stifled a gasp.

Hit a home run, that one.

There was a pause and a delicate throat clearing.

"That's because we're in public", Maria replied.

"Also", her voice grew stronger. "We are cooking."

There was a sound of a spatula clanking down in the floor.

"What? Don't give me that look", Maria rebuked.

"Oh _that_ look where you're saying _we_ are cooking and I'm doing all the stirring and cutting and _cooking_ while you sit on the counter, nursing a carrot?", Steve replied. "I'm giving _that_ look?"

There was a pause in which Maria humphed.

"Wonder why", Steve said, his voice thick with mock contemplation.

The sass was strong with this one.

There was a pause that lasted a minute.

"Ariel, Cinderella, Snow White. Who would you fuck?", Maria asked clearly.

Holly's eyes widened.

The randomness and openness of the conversation was absolutely astounding. She was on an episode of 'mindfucking yourself' and she was loving it.

"Easy", Steve replied. "Cinderella."

" _Typical_ ," Maria spoke disgustedly.

"You would want me to choose Snow White? The girl who ate a poisoned apple from a suspicious looking strange old lady?", Steve asked against the sound of oil hissing in the pan. "You want me to fuck an _idiot_?"

"But now you're fucking a damsel in distress!", Maria spoke as if she couldn't believe it.

"Who'd you rather have me fuck?", Steve asked.

"Ariel", Maria spoke, her voice as if she was pointing out the obvious.

" _Ariel_?", Steve spoke, dubious.

"Ariel", Maria said with confidence.

"She lives in the water. And then she develops legs. I might have told you about Ariel, but I also just described the _maturation of a tadpole_ ", Steve said. "And unsurprisingly, I'm _not_ fucking an amphibian."

There was a pause. (In which Holly tried controlling her burgeoning smile.)

And then she heard a feminine giggle.

 _Maria_.

The giggles escalated into a full blown laugh.

Holly couldn't believe her ears.

Maria Hill was laughing.

As in, laughing her heart out.

As in, laughing like she couldn't control herself.

As in, laughing with _absolute_ abandon.

And then she heard a masculine laugh join Maria's.

"I'm part amphibian", Maria spoke, breathless with laughter. "I love water."

And then Maria dissolved into giggles again.

And then Holly heard heavy footfalls move across the kitchen. 

"But you're Maria Hill", Steve said, his voice gruff. "And I'd fuck you even if you were a lizard."

There was a sudden silence and a hitch of breath.

" _Lizard_ ", Maria whispered. 

"Of _all_ the bloody romantic things in the galaxy"

And then she burst into peals of laughter.

And as Steve's laughter joined Maria's, Holly jumped with joy at her great as fuck day.

Have a brilliant Sighting. Check.

Now, attack the fucking Meatloaf.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should I also add Holly's encounter with David Walsh (Meatloaf) in the bonus? 
> 
> As always, any and all comments are very very welcome.


	5. III: Behind the Glass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maria's body shook with outrage.
> 
> She took a step forward, her hands on her waist and nearly shouted at him, "it's not the same. While I was clawing her throat off, I was trying to make her see my point."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the conversation between Maria and Steve in III. This chapter does not feature Holly *misses her*

Maria glared at the tinted glass in front of her, her back to Steve.

Really.

He'd _really_ tried to insert himself in Rumlow's house and told him, in clear words, if he ever touched Maria again, he'd end up with no hands. Or in fact, no body part that touched Maria.

Oh wait.

He'd not tried that. He'd _done_ that.

Here they were, trying to hide an extremely volatile barely there so called relationship, and this man goes ahead and makes it nearly public in the most cliched and common way possible.

"You know, you're making a big deal out of this", Steve's voice rang behind her.

_Big deal?_ Big _fucking_ deal? 

"Really?", she turned to him and threw her hands up in the air. "I'm making a big deal out of this?" Her voice rose in volume.

Steve tried to step towards her.

Oh

_fucking_

_no._

She stepped smoothly to the side, maintaining the same distance.

Maria's voice came out stilted, "don't you _dare_ come near me."

Steve stood his ground but leaned forward. "I had to make my point. He was all over you after the mission in Jakarta. He needed to be told to _back the fuck off_."

Maria rolled her eyes.

They'd had the _exact_ same conversation yesterday and Steve had said the _exact_ same thing. She threw up her hands dramatically.

_Forget it._

And then, something that hadn't happened yesterday, happened.

Steve took the conversation to a whole new level.

He twisted his face in mock awe and said, "well at least this was better than the time you nearly _clawed_ that British agent's face off after she came on to me."

 _What_?

That had _not_ happened.

She couldn't even. 

The nerve of this man.

" _I cannot believe you_ ", Maria thundered, her voice bewildered. "That was a completely different situation."

"Mere excuses, Maria", Steve replied, as if he was brushing her off.

And then he shrugged.

He _shrugged_.

The _gall_.

She _had_ to clarify whatever stupid and moronic thoughts he was harbouring in him thick head.

"She was not just coming on to you, _oh no_ ", Maria nearly screeched, throwing her hands around drastically. "She was _nearly_ sitting on your lap. She was _nearly_ joined with you at the hip. She _nearly_ propositioned you for sex. And _I_ am the culprit for trying to claw her throat off?"

Steve leaned back against the counter casually and replied, "well, sounds like an awful lot of what I told you".

Maria's body shook with outrage.

She took a step forward, her hands on her waist and nearly shouted at him, "it's _not_ the same. While I was clawing her throat off, I was trying to _make her see my point_."

Steve did not reply. He simply raised his eyebrows.

"Listen _you_ , Mr. Rogers", Maria pointed a threatening finger at him. "I was _not jealous_. I was just trying to prove her _my case_ and show her that we

were

 _together_."

Maria realised as soon as she said it.

So did Steve.

For weeks , Maria had refused to label their relationship and refused to refer to them as being together. And now, in a fit of emotion she'd said something that she'd not allowed herself to feel and admit buried deep inside the recesses of her mind.

Panic writhed inside Maria.

Too much power to him.  _She was giving him too much power over her._

Steve straightened and got up from his position across the counter and _smiled_ ; a complete teeth gleaming smile, showing acute happiness, the kind that stems rarely.

Maria blinked at his smile.

And rage, _red hot fury_ , started building in Maria and she very simply,

_lost it._

She couldn't _simply_ control it.

_That motherfucking smile._

She turned over and picked up whatever she got her hands on, a plate and a cup, and threw it at Steve, her hands moving of their own accord. 

Steve ducked and avoided the cup but he caught hold of the plate and threw it back at Maria.

_What was he doing?_

Maria watched the plate glide in the air.

As she got preoccupied by the utensil and swatted it away, she never realised that Steve had covered the distance between both of them.

She only realised when she felt his warmth _sear_ through her official tunic at her shoulders.

But by then, it was too late.

Steve was too close.

He pressed his lips against Maria's.

And for three seconds, _there was absolute stillness; a tense silence pervading their bodies._

And then suddenly,

the familiar _gut wrenching_ heat travelled between them,

their bodies responding to the proximity of the others.

Steve nipped

and bit

and sucked

and licked, 

his tongue stroking hers and grasping hers and tangling with hers

as she

pulled at his hair

and scratched at his shoulders

and clutched him with her arms

and whimpered his name,

her body plastered against his, his arms like vices around her, their lengths pressed together.

Their breaths ragged,

their hearts beating in sync,

Steve whispered against Maria's lips,

" _together_ ".

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have received some messages asking whether this story will ever take a serious turn; it will NOT. This aims to represent the humourous and hilarious side of Captain Hill.
> 
> For more intense and serious stories, please see my new series 'Intrépide' which is going to have new additions soon.
> 
> Also, any and all comments are very very welcome


	6. V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maria Hill, Commander at SHIELD, revered ice queen and Steve Rogers, Captain America, worldwide hero were exchanging notes in a meeting.
> 
> Like high schoolers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEW CHAPTER UP!
> 
> Also, italics is Steve and straight is Maria.

Holly Trail was bored out of her mind.

And judging by the look on everybody else's faces, they were too.

Holly sat in a SHIELD all-staff meeting in a huge glass hall with one-man desks for each employee. The interesting part, where they had talked about the new changes happening in the Starkrift that would allow them to connect underground, the new probe system set up in the Shield Archives and all other new features had ended half an hour ago.

Now, some lowly agent was babbling on and on about how the water coolers needed some working on.

 _God_.

 _Holly was sleeping with her eyes open_.

(Something she'd mastered very well in grade eight when their teacher has taught them about the finer nuances of Homer. Regardless, her knowledge of Greek mythology extended to Percy Jackson.)

Jane shoved her in the elbow. "It's about to end", she whispered.

Holly blinked her eyes open. Steve Rogers stood in the middle of the room, tall, charismatic, magnetic.

Her eyes automatically flitted to Maria Hill's face, whose desk was located in the very front. Maria was gathering papers, and then as Steve started speaking, she looked up impassively.

Holly looked back at Steve.

He spoke about how the organisation was working smoothly, how the recent missions had been a great success, congratulated the staff on doing great work, and dismissed the meeting.

 _Finally_.

As Holly rejoiced over the end of a boring boring meet, she couldn't help but analyse the power of Steve Rogers. His words had been generic, neat at most, but the conviction and sincerity he'd said it with had made everybody listen to him.

Even Holly, procrastinator extraordinaire.

Everybody started getting up and shuffling out. Holly got up and walked with Jane. As they walked and reached the front desk, Holly heard a crinkle.

She looked down. Her heeled foot rested on a paper.

She bent down and lifted it up. And as she turned it upside down, her breath caught.

Omygod.

Omygod.

 _Oh my fucking God_.

Holly couldn't believe it.

She looked up at the roof.

"Thank you, God. I _knew_ doing laundry everyday accounted for something", she whispered in the air.

"Everything okay?", Jane asked, turning back to Holly who had suddenly frozen in the middle of the lane.

"Oh, great", Holly spoke, rapidly shuffling the paper in the back pocket of her skirt. "Great great."

She quickly walked with Jane, nearly tripping in the process.

Jane was going on and on about something she'd overheard Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff talking about but Holly couldn't pay any attention.

She mmm-ed and ah-ed at the right moments (at least what _she_ thought were right moments), but Holly was coming out of her skin. She needed to read what was on the paper.

As soon as they reached their offices, Holly gave an off-handed excuse about how she needed to use the bathroom and escaped quickly.

She got into the bathroom, took up a stall, locked herself inside and taking a deep breath, took out the paper from her back pocket.

And then she stilled.

Was she maybe intruding on privacy?

She mulled over that thought for over half a second and then she shrugged.

 _What fate wants, is what fate gets_.

She opened up the paper.

It was a written conversation between Maria Hill and Steve Rogers.

Maria Hill, Commander at SHIELD, revered ice queen and Steve Rogers, Captain America, worldwide hero were _exchanging notes_ in a meeting.

_Like high schoolers._

Holly almost jumped with glee.

She could easily recognise Maria's straight strokes, having seen her writing on files daily but Steve's cursive surprised her.

The handwriting _looked_ antique.

She could not believe how stealthy they had been in exchanging notes. She shook her head. This is what happened when super spies and super heroes dated.

Holly could see that this was not the first page of conversation. She had stumbled upon the very last page, deductible from the way the final words had been scrawled.

And she began reading.

\----

_I'd choose invisibility._

I cannot believe you'd choose invisibility over the ability to fly.

_Why not?_

Because invisibility is rubbish.

_Oh and flying makes you a God, is it?_

It does not make you GOD, but it does make you powerful. Think about all the times you could have saved lives and gotten to things faster and went on an impromptu shopping trip to Milan. Just think about it.

_Shopping trip to Milan._

That's what you got out of my huge text?

_Shopping trip to Milan, Maria._

Fine.

_Plath or Shakespeare?_

Plath. Easy.  
Napoleon or Alexander?

 _In a toss up between conquerors? None_.

Cheater.

_Doesn't rile me up like it does you._

Being a cheater is pathetic.

_Priorities, Maria, priorities.  
Hogwarts or Xavier Institute of Higher Learning?_

YOU CANNOT ASK ME THAT.

_Answer it. Or you can choose not to. But I'd call that cheating._

I never cheat.  
Let me think about it.  
This is tough.

_You can choose not to answer it._

And be labeled a cheater? No thank you very much.  
I'd choose Hogwarts.

_So you'd abandon close quarters combat with Wolverine, and Cerebro, and ethics with Emma Frost?_

I know what you're doing, Steve.

_Merely highlighting what you left behind. You can change your answer of course, but I'd call you a cheater again._

Why don't you keep your stupid ideas to yourself?  
What would you choose?

_What did you choose?_

Are you suffering from memory loss? See, that's what happens when you support Wolverine too much.

_Maria, what did you choose?_

Hogwarts.

_Well there's your answer._

You're talking in circles. Those round things, you know.

_Darling, if you go to Hogwarts, I'll go to Hogwarts too._

That was incredibly sappy.

_On the other hand, it brought a smile to your face, so I'd say it was successful._

I did not smile. Are you hallucinating?

_You did smile. Are you lying?_

I did not smile. You're seeing things.

_You did smile. And yes, I did see that so yes I am seeing things. That thing being your smile._

Steve.

_Maria._

You're infuriating.

_You're beautiful._

Would you just leave? It's your turn to speak.

_Feeling the love here._

\----

Holly looked up from the paper.

She ripped it to shreds, flushed it down the toilet and came out, nearly doing a jig.

And then she froze.

Because Black Widow stood there, smirking at her.

 

 

 

 


	7. V: the companion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holly blinked.
> 
> And then her excitement mounted to a level she did not know was possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is very quick but I'm an idiot and of all possible scenarios, I could not wait to post this small companion chapter. A bigger update will come soon.
> 
> Also, this follows on from where V left off.
> 
> Also. I cannot believe so many people are reading this. Thank you!
> 
> All the love.

Holly Trail stood shock still.

There were absolutely no thoughts in her head.

 _Complete blankness_.

"So", Natasha Romanoff spoke, her voice meshed in its usual husky overtones.

Holly _still_ couldn't think of anything.

"I like your heels", Natasha continued. "Very chic."

Holly looked down at her heels, dazed. And then she looked up at Natasha and nodded.

"Do you speak?", Natasha said, her voice amused.

Holly blinked.

And then she shook herself.

She didn't want to look dumb in front of Black Widow!

"Yes yes", Holly spoke quickly, except her voice came out more as a squeak.

She cleared her throat.

"Uh hi", Holly said.

"Hi", Natasha spoke, her lips quirking up. She put a hand out, "Natasha."

Was Black Widow really introducing herself?

Holly looked, bewildered.

"Holly Trail", Holly said, shaking Natasha's hand.

Natasha cleared her throat.

"So, I'm approaching you for a mission", Natasha said, her tone all business.

Holly's eyes widened.

Mission?

"I've been observing you", Natasha continued.

Holy fuck.

Holly _knew_ it had been a bad idea to skip physical yesterday. But she'd taken one look at her queen size bed and been putty in its hands.

Sleep. _Fuck yes._

Look what that got her into.

Holly tensed, waiting for a reprimand or worse, extra physical as punishment.

"And I know you know about Maria and Steve"

_WHAT_

Holly stopped breathing.

_What was happening?_

Was she dreaming?

She pinched herself on the arm and yelped.

Natasha looked perplexed. "Are you okay?", she asked, her face twisted in consternation.

"Well", Holly replied, rubbing her reddened arm. "I never thought you'd say _that_."

Natasha's face cleared.

Suddenly, she leaned forward.

"You have to help us", she said, her voice urgent.

Holly frowned.

" _Us_?", Holly asked, confused.

And then the window opened and Hawkeye climbed through.

"Hi Holly, I'm Barton, nice to meet you, has Nat told you everything?", he said, while climbing into the twenty five storey high window, his voice cheerful.

What was happening?

He landed into the bathroom with a thud. He put his hands on his waist, looked at Natasha expectantly and asked cheerfully, "well, have you?"

Natasha was still looking at Holly, completely ignoring Barton as if climbing into sky high windows was an ordinary experience.

"I'm in the process", Natasha replied. She looked at Clint. "I think she's going into shock."

Holly snapped out of it.

"I'm extremely, _extremely_ confused", Holly spoke.

They both turned to look at her.

"We need your help", Clint said. "Tony, Bruce, Coulson, Thor, Nat and I are in the middle of a bet. We all know Steve and Maria are together but they're acting especially smug and sneaky and we haven't been able to expose them. Whoever exposes them first, gets to wield Loki's sceptre for an entire week."

"And I'll be damned if I let the Science Bros or Dumb and Dumber win this", Natasha interjected, her face twisting in disgust at Science Bros.

"Dumb and Dumber?", Holly inquired mildly.

"Coulson and Thor", Clint replied. "Apparently, they are working together. Something about combining the intelligence of man and God."

"Which, we know, must exist before it is combined", Natasha added, matter-of-factly, blowing on her cherry red nails.

"Everybody is calling in resources", Clint said. "Coulson is trying to emotionally manipulate Maria, Tony has put Jarvis on high alert, Thor wants Jane to talk to Hill and God knows what."

"But we have you", Natasha spoke. "You're new, you're relatively unknown, you already know about them and you are our resource."

"You can be our covert agent and help us find clues and expose Hill and Rogers", Clint added.

Holly blinked.

And then her excitement mounted to a level she did not know was possible.

She was going to be a resource for the Avengers.

She was going to be a covert agent.

She saw Agent Ethan Hunt in her head.

She saw James Bond in her head.

She saw Maria and Steve looking at each other in her head.

She took a deep breath and composed herself.

"How can I help you?"


	8. VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He just kissed her hands", Holly spoke in a daze.
> 
> "Really?", a breathy reply came from Clint.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter up!  
> Also, I have ideas of what I want to see Steve and Maria do in third person but I'd love if you people could give ,e your ideas too.
> 
> All the love.

Holly Trail was on a covert mission and she was loving it.

She slipped down in her seat, her sunglasses in place, her blonde wig in a ponytail, her jacket snug around her shoulders; Holly Trail, nearly unrecognisable.

She was in the All American Diner in a god awful god knows where place on a stake out.

Clint had, using his _resources (_ dodgy little thing, that one) found out that there were three restaurants Steve and Maria favoured, and it was Tuesday that they apparently had date night.

So, Natasha, Clint and Holly were staked out at one each.

_Oh no._

She couldn't call them that.

After much contemplation (which had led to various arguments like "Really, Clint I can't taint the name by calling you Legolas" and "no Natasha calling you Godfather is awfully stupid" and Holly's least favourite "no Holly I am not calling you Bond") they'd decided on code names.

Clint had, after much thinking, decided on Pikachu.

Natasha was Iris.

And Holly had steadfastly held to her belief and was called Bond.

"Bond, any sighting yet?", Clint's voice carried over to her earpiece.

"No, Pika. On your end?", Holly replied.

There was a sound of a huge breath.

"It's _Pika-chu_ ", Clint spoke, exasperated. "And no, no sighting from my side."

"None from mine too", Natasha chimed in.

"Roger that", Holly replied in a gruff tone.

There was a sound of another sigh.

"Just because you like saying 'roger that' does not mean you're going to say it again and again", Clint spoke. "And that too, at the wrong times."

"Roger that", Holly replied in a serious tone.

Clint growled and Natasha's husky laugh filled the intercom.

Suddenly, Holly's eye caught on white.

And Maria Hill and Steve Rogers walked through.

She'd never seen them so informally dressed. Steve was wearing a long sleeved charcoal t shirt with grey slacks and Maria was dressed in a simple white shift dress, her hair pulled back in a braid.

"Sighting sighting", she whispered urgently into her earpiece.

"What?", Natasha replied.

"I see them", Holly whispered back.

"I got _that_ Bond", Natasha spoke and Holly could nearly feel Natasha roll her eyes through her earpiece. "I got _this_ decked up for _nothing_."

"Shut it Iris, we need to counsel Bond", Clint's voice came through.

"Bond this is your first covert op, put your sunglasses on, look casual, you're sitting normally, order a shake or something", Clint spoke formally.

"Roger that", Holly replied in a half whisper, her eyes widened beneath the sunglasses.

_She loved saying that._

_So professional._

"Fucking God", Clint muttered through the earpiece.

Holly was riveted by the scene before her.

Steve and Maria walked over to a table two tables down from Holly, giving her a clear view. Steve held the chair for Maria, and then slipped into his own right in front of her.

He then took her hands that were resting on the table between his and kissed them, palm up, one by one. Maria threaded her fingers through his.

"He just kissed her hands", Holly spoke in a daze.

"Really?", a breathy reply came from Clint.

"Bond", Natasha hissed. "Photo."

Oh right.

Holly's sunglasses were an effective cover up by they were also SHIELD merchandise. Blink thrice in a row and click! Photo.

She turned a little bit towards the couple and clicked one.

"We need all the evidence we can have", Clint spoke.

"Yes _yes_ Pikachu, should've thought that while you and Bond were fangirling over Maria and Steve over there", Natasha retorted.

Holly shifted a little closer.

"Shhh", Holly whispered.

"I don't think it works that way". Holly faintly heard Maria's voice.

"Ma'am I'm telling you, it does", Steve replied to her.

Holly twisted her earpiece a little so that Natasha and Clint could get in on the action.

"Really?", Maria replied. "I've never given gifts to all the people I know for Christmas and I will _not_ start to do it now."

Maria leaned forward. "You can be the Christmas fairy for all I care."

"And you can be the grinch", Steve said. "Oh wait, you _are_ the grinch."

Clint whistled through the earpiece.

"They don't speak like that in front of us", Natasha sniffed.

"Keep quiet", Holly hissed.

"Funny, _Steve_ ", Maria retorted and pointed her fork at Steve. "I'll tell that joke to my _next_ boyfriend."

Steve threw his head back and laughed.

"Is that what I am now?", Steve replied. "Your boyfriend?"

Maria gave him a look. "Don't act so smug. We decided on this term yesterday."

"And we also decided what this term brought with it", Steve replied.

Maria put her fork and spoon down. "Yes, the fact that you can be as sappy as you want to be", Maria spoke. "But _I_ don't have to like it."

"What if you _do_ like it?", Steve asked.

Maria clinked her spoon against the table. "I would not", she replied firmly.

"Well then." Steve made a show of putting his hand under the table and brought out a delicate bouquet of red roses. "I shall throw them away if my girlfriend doesn't like them", he spoke remorsefully.

"He's got red roses", Holly whispered excitedly.

"Maria loves red roses!", Natasha whispered back, just as excited.

"Oh who's fangirling now?", Clint replied.

"Pika", Holly whispered. "Really."

"Fucking fuck", Clint replied.

Natasha spoke something but Holly tuned them out, enjoying her shake and the show in front of her.

Steve had turned his head to Maria. "Shall I?"

Maria blinked.

"Roses are not sappy, by definition", Maria replied, her eyebrows raised up. "They lie in the territory of elegant."

"Oh they do, Ms. Hill?", Steve asked, leaning closer to her.

Maria skewered him with a look. "Throw them away."

"On the contrary ma'am", Steve replied casually. "I'm going to keep them. Elegant, as they are."

And he put the roses near his feet.

Steve called the waiter to get them their main course. As the food arrived, Maria glanced between Steve and the roses repeatedly.

Steve raised his eyebrows at her.

Maria sighed. "You can't just leave them lying on the ground."

Steve looked at her and smiled. And then he grabbed her hand and pulled her up, both of them standing up. He led her to the very corner of the room and pulled her close.

And then,

Holly took a deep breath,

because, my _my_  

he started moving them.

_In a dance._

Steve held Maria by the waist and her hands were on his shoulders, a bit reticent but opening up gradually.

They were swaying and then Steve let go of her and twirled her and Maria smiled in childlike wonder.

Steve pulled her close and whispered something in her ear. Maria's eyes widened and then she brushed her nose along his.

"They're dancing", Holly whispered through her earpiece.

There was silence through the earpiece.

And then both Natasha and Clint erupted.

"Oh my god-"

"I can't believe it-"

"As in couple dance-"

"I cannot-"

"Please kids", Holly whispered. "Stop fangirling."

There was silence.

" _Really Bond_ ", Natasha's voice came through.

"I say it like I see it", Holly replied.

"I'm _officially_ badass and I do _not_ fangirl, for your information", Clint replied.

Holly sighed.

"Roger that."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song that Maria and Steve are dancing to is 'these arms of mine' by Otis Redding.
> 
> LISTEN TO IT. It will give you all the feels I'm telling you.


	9. VII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't go kamikaze on the sketchbook.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi hi my tumblr username is fibonaccinumbers and I'm relatively new so message me, tumblr me, prompt me, tell me things to follow, tell me about yourself, tell me about the stars and the skies; I'll reply to anything and everything with utmost interest and enthusiasm.
> 
> New chapter up!

Holly Trail blinked.

_Don't go kamikaze on the sketch book._

Clint had told her that very _very_ clearly. But she was nearly dying with curiosity. Curiosity was killing the cat without even have acted on it. What a fail.

The scrap book was laid in her lap like it was a nuclear bomb; no touching, ignore the temptation. Natasha and Clint would be coming in any minute. Holly sighed and laid her head back against the restaurant chair, her lips curling in a circle to blow up air. They needed to be here faster.

She heard a bell chime and Natasha walked through, wearing a simple jeans and t shirt, drawing eyes to herself even in a simple ensemble. She slipped in a booth across Holly and looked at her expectantly. And then her eyes widened comically.

"You still haven't seen inside the sketchbook?", Natasha asked, her voice incredulous.

Holly gave her a look.

"Clint made me swear on my Louboutins", Holly replied drolly. "And he called at two in the night to tell me that Cap had given you his sketchbook. So I was half asleep and didn't really pay attention."

Natasha chuckled.

"For what it's worth", Natasha spoke, her brows high on her face. "Clint cannot wait to see it either."

And then she leaned forward. "But I've seen it", she continued and dropped her voice to a whisper. "And _oh my god_."

Holly's head snapped up. She scrunched her face in disgust at Natasha.

Another bell sounded and Clint walked through, his steps quick and silent, sliding into the booth beside Holly.

"Have you seen inside it yet?", Clint asked, his face twisted in suspicion.

Holly gave him a look. "Of course not. You made me swear on my _fucking_ Louboutins."

Clint smiled self satisfactorily.

"That's nice kid", he replied. "Now open up Pandora's box and show to Papa."

Holly shook her head. Natasha merely blinked.

Holly picked up the sketchbook from her lap gingerly and placed it on the table. She looked at Natasha and then at Clint, building the climax.

"Are you ready?", she asked in her best Godfather impression.

"For the love of God", Natasha whispered under her breath.

Holly and Clint stopped what they were doing and looked at Natasha.

"What, you want to join the Science Bros?", Clint asked her. "Maybe you could find the _molecular probability_ of Steve and Maria getting together?"

"Or what about Dumb and Dumber?", Holly asked. "They'll be a triad then. Dumb, Dumber and Dumbest. _Perfect_."

"I was just-", Natasha spoke but Clint cut her off.

"Natasha", he spoke, his voice absolutely serious. "First rule of fight club", he raised his index finger up. "You don't insult the fight club."

"Second rule of fight club", Holly chimed in. "You don't speak if you don't have anything good to say."

Natasha blinked thrice in succession.

"Fine", she spoke exasperatedly, rolling her eyes.

"Let's open it now", Holly spoke urgently, distracted by the sketchbook. Clint huddled near.

She flipped open the cover page and the first page was blank with a note scribbled on the side:

_Steve Rogers, 2014_

Holly and Clint looked at each other and nodded, starting to flip and analyse the pages.

 **Page one** was the sketch of the New York skyline, startlingly beautiful in its sharpness. The Empire State Building and the Stark Tower stood tall, small lights illuminating the city.

What was most compelling about the picture was that the entire skyline was reflected in the water, smudged and broken, resembling a mirror image, except it showed all the damage done to the city during the alien invasion in New York. The Stark Tower only had an A, the Coloqium was half broken, and the smaller buildings were put up as piles of debris, having little shape.

"The destruction really affected him", Natasha spoke, low in her throat.

Holly swallowed and turned the page.

 **Page two** was the outline of a delicate hand resting on the table. The hand was elegant in its curvature, palm resting on the table and fingers bent crookedly, nails cut short but kept clean. The wrist was circled by a thin chain with two small military dog tags. The hand acted as the main element of the picture but it was by far, the simplest.

The items of the table had been drawn in great detail; pages with light scribbles and a SHIELD headliner, a paper clip with black and white intricacies, a copy of Macbeth torn at the edges, ink pens scattered around the table, a lone Chanel nail paint bottle among the office work.

It was clear who the hand and the desk belonged to. It was well known that Maria wore her military dog tags on her hand, and only she used ink pens.

Clint sighed. "He drew her _hand_ ", he spoke, stressing on 'hand'.

"Captain Obvious reporting", Holly spoke.

" _Aye aye captain_ ", Natasha quipped.

Clint gave them a look and turned the page.

 **Page three** was the sketch of a messy couch placed against a wall with two small windows. Again, the detail was exquisite. The couch was in a single colour tone but it was littered with clothes, all very singly drawn.

Holly leaned closer to observe each item closely. There was a belt on the seat, a wallet tossed, a pair of boots on the floor near one handle, a watch over the wallet, a scarf nearly falling off, a dress draped over the cushions very similar to-

She moved back, startled. It was Maria and Steve's clothing lying on the couch, mingled together.

"It's Steve's house", Clint spoke, impressed.

Holly was mesmerised. She turned the page.

 **Page four** was the acute close up of an eye and _dear lord._

The eye was perfectly made with just enough flaws to make it look real, but the eyeball reflected a picture of a woman laughing. Her head thrown back, face tipped up and hair flying up in the air, nearly obscuring her face, except for a brief flash of teeth and a slight Roman nose.

The whole sketch was black and white and done with pencil except for the eyeball which was coloured a deep blue; the exact colour of Steve's eyes.

Holly's hand traced the contours of the eyeball and she swallowed.

_Such a potent image._

**Page five** was a complete sketch of Maria Hill. Maria stood at the head of the table, as she usually did, in her SHIELD uniform, imposing and giving orders to the men sitting on the other chairs.

The sketch was relatively simple compared to the others they had seen before but it offered such an intimate insight of how the artist saw Maria; recognising and respecting her ambition and dominance and how strong she was and embracing her for it.

"This is my favourite", Natasha spoke into their silence, and she turned the page from the opposite side.

 **Page six** was a cartoon figure of Captain America in his complete gear with his shield, standing in combat position, coloured to perfection. In that moment, Holly decided she'd never seen anything more adorable.

"I want my cartoon figure too", Clint spoke.

"You're not enough cartoon for you?", Natasha replied.

Holly snickered.

Clint cast them both a dirty look and flipped the page.

And Holly's mouth hung open.

"Whoa", Clint said.

"Told you", Natasha replied, sipping her coffee.

 **Page seven** was a sketch of Maria like nobody had ever seen her before.

She was sitting on a chair, by the window (which Holly belatedly realised was the same window from page three) and she was yawning, her hair sticking up in all directions in a classic case of bed head, hand near her face as if she was just about to place it over her mouth, eyes nearly closed, head tilted back, and wearing just an oversized shirt that stretch to her upper thigh, legs and arms exposed.

It was an extremely personal picture and Holly's eyes burned with the intimacy of it.

She closed the sketch book with a thud.

"No more?", Natasha replied, her voice smiling.

"It's too pretty", Holly replied, her voice hushed.

Clint sighed. "We can't obviously use this as proof." He ran his hand through his hair. "It's too personal."

"I agree", Natasha spoke.

"So even though I _enjoyed_ viewing the pictures", Clint spoke hedgingly. "This was an _absolute_ waste of time."

" _Oh please_ ", Holly replied, fluttering her fingers in the air. 

"Waste of time", she scoffed.

" _What_ ", Clint replied, baffled.

"You fangirled to death", Natasha informed him.

Clint took a deep breath.

"See, Natasha:

Third rule of fight club."

He paused.

"Don't speak _at all_."

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Should I continue this?  
> If I do, I'll be putting up more instances of what Holly saw.  
> PLEASE REVIEW AND COMMENT.  
>   
> Edit 5/19/16 : continuing this 


End file.
